Survival of the Fittest
by merlinfan42
Summary: Jamie is separated from Ranzulli on a call and kidnapped. A crime lord has chosen Jamie Reagan as the worthiest competitor of an unworthy and weak profession. Jamie is fighting for survival in the competition of his life while Danny works day and night to find his baby brother.
1. Chapter 1

**I realize that a lot of Blue Bloods fics are similar.. So I apologize if this isn't very unique! But I'm enjoying writing it anyway, so hopefully you'll enjoy reading it! I hope to get the second chapter up in the next couple of days! I would LOVE feedback! Anything I can do to make it a better story! Anyway, this is only my second fanfic ever, so here goes nothing I guess! Enjoy! (also, this is fairly unedited, so I apologize in advance :D )**

Survival of the Fittest

Chapter 1 – The Kidnapping

"Reagan, they're splitting up! I'll take the shorty and you take the other one! Keep in radio contact!"

"10-4 Sarge! Meet up at this corner?"

"Yep. Good luck, kid!"

Jamie and Sergeant Ranzulli panted as they sprinted as fast as their gear would let them. Two men had robbed a convenience store, and somehow had stuck around long enough to allow the two officers to chase them down.

As "Shorty" veered off into an apartment building, Jamie pursued the taller one into an alley. "Police! Stop!" he yelled. The suspect gave no signs of letting up, and continued running, maintaining his lead, much to Jamie's annoyance.

Meanwhile, Ranzulli was also yelling, "Police! Stop!" at Shorty, but to no avail. The stairs were killer with 30 pounds of gear on, and Ranzulli was losing him. He managed to chase the suspect to the top of the building, when suddenly Ranzulli realized that he'd lost him.  
"Reagan, I lost him. Coming to you. What's your 20?" Just as Ranzulli finished his inquiry, he heard, and felt, a massive boom. An explosion rocked the 4th floor, and Ranzulli immediately began evacuating people out of the building, hoping that Jamie was ok on his own for the time being.

Jamie vaguely heard Ranzulli's question, and was too out of breath to respond. However, when he heard the explosion off to his left, his alarm bells went off. Jamie kept running though, because he was gaining on Tall. He mentally sent a prayer being grateful for always having been such a good runner. Suddenly, Shorty appeared out of nowhere, and both suspects were facing him. Jamie realized that Shorty must have set off the boom he'd heard.

The two suspects converged on Jamie, and he immediately went into defensive mode. As they approached, he managed to radio that he needed back up, and that he was with the two suspects. Then they began to fight him, swinging at him whenever they had a chance. Jamie was a pretty good boxer, and knew how to hold his own, but two opponents were significantly harder than one.

Even as Jamie landed punches, agilely danced away from their swings, he could not protect himself, and one lucky blow glanced his head, knocking him against the wall. He staggered upright, seeing stars, and then a punch to the head brought on complete darkness.

Shorty and Tall dragged Jamie into a van just a little farther down the alley, and took off, hoping that he would be ok enough to do what their boss needed him to do.

Danny was annoyed. He'd been stuck at his desk all day answering call after call, interviewing suspect after suspect for a big case he'd landed last week. All he wanted to do was get out and do something interesting for an hour.

His phone rang, and without looking at the caller ID, he answered angrily, "Reagan".

Danny's tone changed immediately as he heard Sergeant Ranzulli on the other line. "Sarge, what's going on?" His face paled as he listened. "Jamie's been taken? Who? When did this happen?" Danny listened just long enough to get Ranzulli's location and said, "I'm on my way."

Danny grabbed his jacket, gun, and keys as he said,"Baez, let's go. We need to be at Washington and Queen's street yesterday. Jamie's been taken!"

Baez nodded quickly and followed her partner swiftly to the car.

Jamie felt his head throbbing before anything else made itself clear. He groaned and sat up. As he lifted his hand to rub his head, his other came with it. Confused, he opened his eyes and found himself cuffed. With another throb of pain came all the memories of what had happened.

 _Shit_ , he thought. _I need to get out of here. Where the hell am I? And who would be idiot enough to kidnap a police officer?_ Jamie looked around and saw a big, empty room. He seemed to be the only thing in it. _Well, that's really helpful.. Damn._ Jamie felt for his gun, and found an empty holster. His Taser, flashlight, cuffs, and baton had all been removed. _Hang on, they cuffed me with my own cuffs?_ His nostrils flared in anger. Common sense prevailed, however, and Jamie settled in, conserving his energy and waiting for his chance to escape.

What seemed to be a couple hours later, he was woken from his doze by the sound of a heavy door being opened.

"Rise and shine officer, sir!" A mocking voice greeted him and he looked up. In front of him stood none other than the crime lord Ezekiel Talbot, grinning like Christmas had come early.

"You're going down, Talbot. You really think you can get away with kidnapping a police officer?" Jamie spat at Talbot's feet.

"Easy now, Officer Reagan. Oh that's right, I know who you are. I had to search for the best of the worst to bring in as my guest. That means doing my homework. You see, cops are weak, ineffective, and unworthy of wearing the badge. You in uniform are a black spot on this earth, and you, Jamie Reagan, are going to help me prove that. Naturally, I want the best competition. Of course, I'll still beat you, but it's gotta be fun doesn't it?" Ezekiel grinned again at Jamie, and rubbed his hands together. "This will be fun. Now, let's get you camera ready."

Ranzulli looked over at the detective car that had just screeched to a stop in front of the alley Jamie had taken off into. He shook his head, snapping himself out of the guilt and shock he'd been feeling since he heard Jamie's radio request for back-up. Jamie needed him, and nothing but determination was going to help Jamie now.

Danny got out of the car and was at Ranzulli's side in an instant. "Sarge.. Tony. Tell me he's still alive." Danny's eyes were filled with fear and angst, revealing just how much he would hurt if he lost his baby brother. Ranzulli sighed, and responded, "I can't tell you for sure, but there is no blood- nothing to signal that Jamie's not alive. Come on, I'll get you to where he was taken."

As they walked down the alley, Danny battled with himself. In the past, he'd been the big tough detective that didn't let anything faze him. Nothing took him out of his rhythm; if anything, stress and angst motivated him to success. But this… This shook Danny's whole world. What if he couldn't find Jamie? What if there were no leads? What if he was dead already?

Danny started slightly as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Baez was looking at him with that sympathetic gaze that told him she understood, and was ready to help. She told him, "Danny, we're gonna get Jamie back. You just gotta believe it, too, ok?" Danny nodded grimly. He didn't have much of a choice if he was going to get his family through this, too. Baez continued, "There are a couple cameras here, let's get the footage pulled, and canvas for witnesses. That's a start."

Danny shook himself, and started to get into his hard place. "Right. I'll get the footage. You go start canvasing. Call me if you get anything." They split up, each hoping desperately that they would find something they could use.

Two hours later, they were back at the station, with no witnesses, and footage that simultaneously made Danny proud and terrified. The chase and the fight had been caught on camera, but the van had been parked just out of range.

Danny remembered from some Sunday dinners that Jamie had been continuing to box, and he was glad he'd continued. The two suspects could have done a lot more damage if Jamie hadn't known how to box. His heart ached as he watched Jamie get knocked against the wall, and then attempted to continue to fight, despite obviously trying to stay conscious.

As Danny and Baez continued watching, they could see open back doors, but the license plate and the front of the van were out of frame. As the doors closed, Danny watched closely, hoping that he could catch a license plate number. He saw a blurry image as the van pulled forward, and wrote down "DR3-". By the end of the footage, his fists were clenched, and his whole body tense.

Just as Baez opened her mouth to say something, Danny's phone went off. He looked at the ID and sighed. "Hi dad. I've only got a partial plate. It's almost nothing to go off of."

On the other side of the line, Frank Reagan wilted slightly as he heard Danny's report. "Danny, it's better than nothing. You've completed cases with less. Were there no witnesses?"

Danny sighed again, this time out of frustration. "No. Not one. Everyone was too busy with the explosion, which seemed to be a diversion to get Sergeant Ranzulli away from Jamie long enough for the two guys to take him."

It was Frank's turn to sigh. "Alright. Well. Maybe one will come forward. In the meantime, you do what you have to do to get your brother back. Do you understand?"

Danny's eyes narrowed, his determination renewed with that order. "I understand you perfectly, Commissioner. I will bring Jamie home."

Jamie listened to Talbot tell him they would get him camera ready, and immediately wondered which version of camera ready they meant. It meant they'd primp him up, or beat him up. He rather suspected it was the latter.

Jamie knew his hunch was correct when a tall, muscled man stalked in. He had a metal box in one hand, and Jamie was not eager to find out what was inside.

Talbot greeted the newcomer heartily, "Ah Brandon, perfect timing. It's time to get him ready. Before you begin, can you have Laurence get in here? I want him to test the camera and the connection."

The man Brandon nodded briefly and left. He quickly returned with a short, wiry, jumpy looking man, with big glasses. Jamie assumed this was Laurence. He was carrying a camera, lots of wires, and a laptop.

Jamie's heart sank. Whatever they were going to make him do, it was going to be broadcast, from the looks of it. Suddenly, his hope perked up. If they were broadcasting it, then there would be an IP address. And if anyone in law enforcement was watching, they'd trace it, and find him here.

Talbot turned to Laurence. "Let's do a quick test, shall we? Officer Reagan here is ready to be prepared for a guest appearance on our fun little show. Let's run his preparation and see if there are glitches to be fixed." No sooner had he said that than he turned around and delivered a solid punch to Jamie's eye. His head knocked back, and his eyes watered. Determined not to show weakness, he thrust his chin out, and said defiantly, "That all you got? I can do this all day."

Talbot laughed happily. "Oh my, he was a perfect choice. I will so enjoy breaking him." Laurence gave him a thumbs up with the camera pointed at Jamie and Talbot, and with that, the blows continued. The majority of them landed on Jamie's midsection, completely winding him, and causing him to curl up in an attempt to protect his ribs.

Just as Jamie started to think he was going to have some bones broken, Talbot stopped, and addressed the camera. Everything he'd told Jamie about cops being weak, he announced to whomever was watching the broadcast. As Talbot talked, Jamie uncurled and tried his best to look unfazed and bold.

"…So, to prove how much of a waste cops are on tax dollars, this young officer, Officer Jamie Reagan, will be competing against me in 6 categories. If I win, he dies. If he wins.. well, it won't happen. The competitions will be in shooting, running, climbing, an obstacle course, swimming, and fighting. The first begins in 15 minutes."

"Alright Jamie Reagan. You have 15 minutes to prepare yourself for the first test. Maybe send some prayers to your maker. But, you'll be meeting him before long, so I wouldn't worry too much about that." Talbot chuckled to himself as he left the room.

Jamie slumped when the door closed, his brave façade dropping. He wrapped his arms around his ribs the best he could while cuffed, and thought about his family. _I wish I'd gotten to say goodbye… They'll never know how much I love them. Dammit, why didn't I call for back up sooner?_ As he thought, Jamie realized that Danny was probably looking for him. _And if Danny is on the case, I know he'll find me. I gotta hang on until he gets here._ And from there, Jamie's thoughts went quiet as he went into preparation mode.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – The Games**

Danny and Baez were in the middle of reviewing the footage again when another detective yelled at them to turn on the TV. Danny grabbed his remote and turned on the TV closest to them. What he saw made his stomach drop to his feet. Crime Lord Ezekiel Talbot was on camera in a filthy building with Jamie cuffed behind him. He was speaking, but Danny could only focus on Jamie. His eye was slightly swollen and watering. He must have just been punched. His shoulders were slightly hunched and stiff, as though he couldn't expand his ribcage fully. Jamie was clearly trying however, since Danny could see he had his "I can do this all day" face on. They must have given him a full on beat down. His stomach further dropped when he thought of his family seeing this. What if Jamie had been beat up on air? Erin would be beside herself. Despite his fear, he was proud of Jamie for putting on his brave front. _Don't let them see weakness kid.. You're a Reagan, and you've got all of us behind you. We're coming.. Just hold on. And goddammit why'd you get kidnapped… I'm gonna have to partner you with me to keep you from getting into any more trouble after this. Good God, save us all._

He forced himself to tune in to what Talbot was saying. "…So, to prove how much of a waste cops are on tax dollars, this young officer, Officer Jamie Reagan, will be competing against me in 6 categories. If I win, he dies. If he wins… well, it won't happen. The competitions will be in shooting, running, climbing, an obstacle course, swimming, and fighting. The first begins in 15 minutes." Danny's first thought was that Talbot was an idiot if he thought he could take Jamie at these competitions. Not only was he a trained police officer, but Jamie was at his peak physically. He was in the best shape of his life, and consistently beat most officers in their PTs.

Danny's next thought was less hopeful. Talbot was probably going to rig the games so he would win. If Talbot won, Jamie died. They had to find him. And fast. He watched as Talbot ended his broadcast.

"Alright Jamie Reagan. You have 15 minutes to prepare yourself for the first test. Maybe send some prayers to your maker. But, you'll be meeting him before long, so I wouldn't worry too much about that." Talbot was chuckling as the camera turned off. It gave Danny the chills, which didn't happen often.

He and Baez looked at each other in silence for a couple seconds as they processed what they'd seen. Danny spoke first. "Let's go get a recording of that. We've gotta see if there are any landmarks or weird identifying markers that we can use. We've gotta find Jamie, Baez! We've gotta find my kid brother!" He started to panic slightly, which is something he was not used to doing.

Baez grabbed his shoulders before he went anywhere. She looked him in the eyes, and said, "Reagan, Jamie needs our best work right now. We're going to find him, but don't panic. We can do this. You can do this. Take a deep breath… that's it. Ok, let's go bring your brother home." They nodded at each other and headed over to IT to get a copy of the broadcast.

What seemed like two minutes later, Jamie heard the door open and a "Reagan! Get up!" Talbot was back and it was clear he was feeling cocky. "It's time for you to get your ass handed to you. You cops think you're so well trained and that you can handle anything. Well, I'm gonna show you how untrained you are. Prepare to be crushed." Talbot smiled gleefully at Jamie as he stood up and dusted himself off; Jamie hoped he looked more infallible than he felt. His ribs hurt like nobody's business, and his eye was starting to swell shut. That would suck for shooting.. Thank God he could shoot with either eye equally well.

Jamie was led to the door and shoved out. One of Talbot's goons grabbed his shirt from behind and roughly pushed him down several halls until they reached a room set up as a shooting range. Jamie couldn't help but notice the grimy, unkept state of the building and started thinking about what it could be. If he could figure it out, if Talbot broadcast in front of him again, maybe he could get a message to Danny.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted as they reached they all stopped at the other end of the room, where the guns were laid on a table. Jamie noticed a camera on a tripod nearby. He internally rolled his eyes. He was not impressed with Talbot's on stage presence, and unfortunately, it seemed as though it would be a common occurrence.

Talbot's next broadcast began, and Jamie was forced to his knees. He thrust his chin up in defiance as the camera began rolling.

"Hello people of New York. As promised, the first competition is about to begin. I have chosen shooting as the first game. We will shoot at 10 yards, 25 yards, 50 yards and 100 yards. Whoever has the highest score overall wins. As you can see, Officer Reagan here," Talbot paused, grabbed a handful of Jamie's hair and pulled his head back, exposing his face and neck. "Is relatively unharmed." Jamie snorted and received a hard punch to the gut again for his insolence. He leaned over, gasping for air as his tender ribs protested.

Talbot leered at him as he continued talking. "Well, at least he was. Insolence will earn him immediate punishment, regardless of timing." He looked at the camera and stepped in front of Jamie. Putting his hands up, he yelled almost maniacally, "LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

Jamie stepped up to the gun table and saw his Glock. He grabbed it quickly and checked it over. He knew this weapon like the back of his hand; if they'd tampered with it, he'd know. Everything seemed fine, but he had one last check to do. Jamie groaned inwardly. The sight.. it was off center. He doubt they'd let him fix it. Well, he was a good shot. He'd have to improvise on the fly.

Talbot stepped up next to him, and grabbed the other Glock. He loaded it with a full magazine and stepped up to the 10 yard line. With the camera still rolling, Talbot looked at Jamie. "Guests first; 5 shots for each distance. We will trade off each distance. Once we hit 25, we will switch over to the rifles. Got it?" Talbot laughed and continued speaking without a response from Jamie. "Ready to lose? Good, cause I'm ready to win."

Jamie rolled his eyes and brought his gun up. He waited slightly, trying to listen to where his instincts told him to shoot. Center was obviously not a choice. He adjusted left slightly, and shot once. A hole appeared half an inch left of dead center. He allowed himself a small smile as he made his final adjustment and fired four quick shots.

Talbot glared at him as he brought his gun up. This was not going the way he wanted it to. And on camera no less. He knew his sight was spot on, so he took 5 shots without a break. The 5 holes spattered around the center mass.

He screamed angrily and turned on Jamie. "What did you do to my gun? I'm always a perfect shot. What did you do?" Talbot raised his gun again and fired at Jamie. Jamie had already dropped, and Talbot missed.

Jamie put his hands up from the ground. "Talbot, how are you going to beat me in the other games if you shoot me now? You won't have the satisfaction of proving to the world how inept police officers are." His heart raced as he saw Talbot process what he said. As it sunk in, the gun lowered and with narrowed eyes, Talbot said, "Ok Jamie Reagan. Fair point. We go again. Prepare to lose this time."

They again stepped up to the line, and Jamie raised his gun, hyperaware of where people were in the room. He had no doubt they would try to distract him or throw him off. He adjusted his aim, and fired once. As soon as he'd finished he was bumped from behind. He stumble stepped forward, grateful he'd held his fire. He spun and knocked an elbow into the guy's face. It was Brandon, the one who'd gone to get the camera guy. Brandon stumbled backwards several steps, and Jamie took the chance to finish firing. He put his back to the wall and waited for the attack. It didn't come. Talbot was laughing. Hysterically.

"Hahahahaha well Brandon, if you're going to attack a police officer, you can't half-ass it or that's what you're going to get! Hahaha!" As quickly as he'd started laughing, though, he stopped. "But have no fear, you stupid man. You and I will be meeting later… to discuss how to properly do it." Talbot raised his gun and took his first shot. Slightly right of dead center. He fired again. Slightly left. He growled and took the last three slightly faster. All three landed center.

Jamie and Talbot looked at the second targets and Jamie took a step back as he realized he'd won again. Talbot didn't scream this time. "Laurence, cut the feed."

Danny looked at his watch. Jamie had been a prisoner for 12 hours already. He growled. They'd made almost no progress. They had a partial plate and a recording of Talbot's broadcast. They'd watched it several times, and seeing Jamie get beat up pissed Danny off more every time he watched it.

As they neared the end of their 8th review, Danny got a glimpse of something in the background. He paused it. "Hey Baez, do you see that?" There's some sort of window corner right here... Is that a reflection?"

Baez leaned closer and peered at the screen. "I think it is, Reagan. Let me blow it up a bit." As the image got bigger, and grainier, they could see a building reflection. It seemed to be a run-down warehouse, looking like it was either by the harbor, or on the outskirts of town.

Danny started getting more excited. "We're getting closer Baez! We can get that image out to units in those areas and see if they can recognize what building that might be." He rubbed his temples. "Now, if we had a witness, things might move even faster." Baez murmured her agreement as she studied the picture closely.

"Excuse me, I'm hear to speak to the detective in charge of the officer kidnapping?" Danny's head snapped up. A weak looking young woman was standing in the entryway. "That's me," Danny responded, quickly walking over to her. "Who are you?

"My name is Megan. I saw what happened to the officer that got taken and have information that might help you." She looked as though a small puff of wind could blow her over, which kept Danny from being more impatient with her.  
"Great, Megan. What information do you have? Is there a reason you haven't come forward sooner?" His impatience was replaced by being antsy.

"I'm sorry Detective. I was in the hospital. I was in the apartment complex that the explosion took place in, and I got knocked out. But I'd seen that officer get ambushed and saw him loaded into a van. I'd managed to write down the plate number before my ceiling collapsed." She looked apologetic, despite having almost died. Danny was impressed. The explosion had occurred right before the fight had started, which meant she'd kept her focus on the abduction, even though a fire was going on above her.

"Megan, why don't you sit down, and tell me exactly what you saw." He grabbed a chair and led her to his desk.

Ten minutes later, Megan was in the Sergeant's office with some water, and Danny had a full plate number, the make of the van, and a fairly detailed description of the two men that had kidnapped Jamie. He whooped as he finished writing it down.

"Baez, run this plate number will you? DR3-5LC. It's a Ford." Baez hurried back to her desk and entered the number into the database. As she checked, Danny called a sketch artist. "Hey Joey, can you come sketch a couple suspects for me? I've got a witness who got a good look at both of them. And hurry will ya? This is my brother's case.

"Danny, the van is registered to a Brandon Talbot." Baez frowned. "Hold on. Talbot? Like, Ezekiel Talbot? Oh my God, it's his son."

Danny ran Brandon's name through his database. "Baez! It's him! Brandon was one of the scumbags that grabbed Jamie!" Danny grinned predatorily. "So, we have crime lord Ezekiel Talbot on kidnapping and assault, and his son Brandon Talbot on kidnapping, assault, resisting, and arson. I look forward to meeting these two SOBs in person.

Jamie was getting tired. He'd been through the games twice. Every event he'd beaten Talbot, and every event he had to do again so Talbot could win. Except he never did. Jamie had been beaten, water-boarded, and burned. He'd done the obstacle course, the shooting, swimming, running, and climbing… twice. He'd done the fight once, and had won against some crazy steroided dude by sheer luck.

Now it was time to fight again, but Jamie wasn't sure he was going to win this one. Talbot was going to have Brandon fight him. Not only was Jamie tired from all the other tasks, but he was physically hampered. He was sure his ribs had finally broken, his knee was having difficulty holding his weight, and he had various burns all over his body. Every time he won, they burned him with cigarettes, a blowtorch, or if they felt like taking the time, they'd chain him to a board and hold him over a fire.

Jamie knew every event had been broadcast, and he felt terrible, knowing his family likely was seeing him in this condition. He tried to put on a brave front, but his adrenaline was starting to wear off. He was reaching his limit. Jamie sighed, thinking that maybe Danny wasn't coming after all. He knew there was one more pre-game broadcast coming, so Jamie would try and get a message to his family. While disgusting, the floor was dusty enough that he thought he might be able to write something in the dust. Jamie knew this was a warehouse based on the layout, and he knew they were near water because it was humid. Mentally he prepared a message.

As Talbot angrily began what was likely the final broadcast, Jamie was again forced to his knees. This time, he allowed himself to seem weak and fell over on his side. The man behind him laughed, thinking Jamie was unable to stay upright. He used the opportunity to write out his message.

Rs. Luv u

D. H20 & WH

He'd finished and slowly pushed himself up, keeping up his weak façade, that didn't feel much like a façade anymore. Now on his knees, his message was on full display. He slowly nodded and blinked at the camera, acknowledging his family.

Talbot finished his hateful spiel and turned toward Jamie to deliver a parting blow. He paused as his hand raised. Jamie grinned as Talbot saw the message. The bulging of his eyes and the popping vein at his temple told him that his message to Danny about water nearby the warehouse was spot on.

Talbot screamed, unable to form words, and dove onto the message, wiping it out. He then turned to Jamie and punched his face and ribs over and over again. Jamie curled up to protect his broken ribs, one arm around them, and one around his head. He hoped this was being broadcast, because it would be Ezekiel Talbot behind bars for the rest of his life, and the next two after that.

Danny hadn't allowed himself to watch any of the other broadcasts. He'd seen that it was a warehouse area, and he would work with that. Danny couldn't bring himself to watch Jamie get hurt over and over. Baez had told him Jamie was winning each event, but it was bittersweet. She also told him she had not seen any identifying marks or buildings.

Overall, they were close to being able to put together a raid. They had the names, faces, vehicles, and two options of buildings to raid. Ezekiel Talbot had two warehouses under his alias. One was at the pier, and one was an hour out of town. But they only had one chance, so they had to make a choice. Just as Danny was about to make a call to 1PP for the ok to choose, the final broadcast came on.

He made himself to watch, only because it could be the last time he saw Jamie alive and breathing. Danny cringed as he watched Jamie- bruised, burned and broken- keel over, and made a mental note to kill the guy laughing at him. Danny wanted to turn away and make the call, but something told him to pay careful attention. As Jamie slowly pushed himself up, a message was revealed.

Rs. Luv u

D. H2O

"HALLELUJAH KID! I knew you could do it! Baez, it's the warehouse at the pier! He's telling us it's near water! Come on! I'll call 1PP on the way! Gear up!"

Danny and Baez were out the door before they could see Jamie take the beating of his life. It was time to save Jamie and bring him home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The Rescue

Jamie stared at Brandon in disbelief. The man had changed from his previous businessman thug outfit into a speedo for the fight. Jamie let his eyes briefly travel up and down the man, wishing to God he wouldn't have to fight. Brandon was pure muscle. He looked like a body builder, but somehow Jamie felt that Brandon focused more on fights and training than he'd given him credit for.

Jamie realized on second glance that the speedo was like bike spandex. The butt and crotch were padded. _Wait, what? They're padded? I wonder if he learned to pad those areas from previous experience,_ Jamie wondered, amused.

He quickly lost his amusement as Brandon snorted angrily and hopped into the ring. It was a boxing ring, complete with ropes and stools on the floor near opposite corners. At least he boxed at work, not that it would do him much good right now. Jamie groaned and before he could get pushed, started forward. His body hurt. He felt like death. But Danny was coming. Jamie could feel that in his bones. Maybe he was extra sure because so many were broken the brother bond was further exposed. Jamie mentally rolled his eyes at how stupid he sounded in his own head.

Talbot jumped into the ring, his good humor restored once more. _Oh this can't be good.. What on earth could possibly counter a rage from a location disclosure? Glee over impending doom? Guns? Booby traps?_ Jamie's thoughts took a dismal turn and he shook his head to clear it. This fight was going to require every ounce of resolve and strength he had, literally. He couldn't afford to start losing focus. As he went into fight mode, Jamie no longer heard Talbot's cheerful speech about how Jamie had put up a valiant fight, but it was time for him to die.

"This match is to the death. However, to keep me entertained, I will give two minute breaks every five minutes, if our visiting officer here makes it that long." Talbot leered in Jamie's direction. Jamie rolled his eyes. _Bastard.. You don't think I'll last 30 seconds. Well joke's on you. I'll show you what us Reagans are made of. And when Danny gets here.. You'll wish you'd never been born._

Talbot stepped to the side of the ring and hopped out. He picked up a bell, and with a _ding ding_ , the fight for survival had begun. It was now survival of the fittest.

Danny and Baez lit up their lights and pushed the speed as fast as they could possibly go while still in the city. As they drove, Danny pulled out his cell phone. He handed it to Baez and said, "Hey, get my dad on the phone, would ya? I'm going a little too fast to fiddle with it myself. I need to let him know we're going to get Jamie."

Baez nodded and found his contacts. As she pressed "Call Dad", she handed it back. "Be careful Danny. You might want to slow down a little while you're on the phone. It won't help Jamie if we die in a crash on the way there."

Danny looked at her, and realized she was looking a little pale. He guiltily let off the gas a little, and steadied his driving.  
"Dad? It's me. Did you see the broadcast? Yeah. We're on our way now. SWAT is a couple minutes behind us. Mhmm. Yeah, we could use some extra uniforms, Dad. Who knows how many men and guns Talbot has at that warehouse. Ok thanks. I'll be careful, don't worry about me. Mhmm. Yeah. I will bring Jamie home. Yes sir." Danny hung up and with a quick look at Baez, sped up again.

As the pair sped through the city, they noticed less and less traffic. Every intersection was clear for them. "How in the world is this happening? There's always traffic!" Danny wondered.

As he spoke, a dispatcher came over the radio. "All available units, please continue blocking traffic from Queen's street to Lakeside. Those who have been passed already, please follow SWAT and provide manpower."

"Thank God for the NYPD! Thank you Dad!" Danny whooped and stepped on it once more.

Jamie watched the ceiling move slowly by as he sailed through the air. _What an ugly ceiling.. I hate warehouses._ He landed on his back and immediately saw black dots. His ribs.. Sweet God his ribs. He didn't know if he could get up this time. That uppercut to his chin had the strength of a bull behind it. How many of those hits could he take? Jamie struggled to get his breath back as he swung his leg, knocking Brandon's balance off. They'd been fighting for what felt like a lifetime, yet it was probably only a couple minutes. If he could just make it to 5 minutes, he could rest.

Jamie heard a _ding ding_ and dipped his head in relief. A faster 5 minutes than he'd thought. He staggered over to the stool that Laurence had set up in the ring for him; he surprised there was one at all. He melted onto it, finding it most comfortable to lean sideways onto the ropes while he sat. He did a mental check.

His ribs were obviously broken and battered. His knee was probably going to give out in the next round. His burns were stinging with the sweat dripping into the open wounds, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. His shoulder felt like it had been ripped out of its socket, which it probably had. His face and head hurt from the punches. So overall, Jamie figured he could last about one more round, and then Danny would need to show up.

He gulped some water down and stood up again. It wouldn't do to let himself stiffen up too much. Round 2 was beginning.

Jamie stood up as confidently as he could and looked across at Brandon. The dude had only taken a couple rib shots and a head shot. He leered over at Jamie and drew a finger across his throat. As Brandon stood and started towards the center of the ring, Jamie saw a flash of silver. It was a knife.

"Hold on, assbutt. This is a boxing ring! What's with the knife? Afraid you won't beat an injured cop without it?" Jamie laughed.

"You poor thing. You must have some serious self-esteem issues. Is that why you overcompensate with the muscle? Cause, you know, it's a little overboard. Women like toned muscle, not an explosion of muscle. Just sayin'." Jamie taunted Brandon, hoping the taunts could be a bit of a stall while he desperately waited for his brother. He hadn't heard any gunshots or disturbances yet.

"But then again, I'm sure there's some crazy lady out there who's just perfect for you. Cause everyone has a perfect partner, right? Maybe she's a sumo wrestler. You could bench each other for workouts." Jamie paused as he saw Brandon standing in front of him with steam practically bursting from his ears. Jamie allowed himself a small smile.

"Oh, here's something I didn't consider though. You don't need a woman, because you have a man in your life. What man would take you though? Psh, I sure wouldn't… Man, the look on your face.. Wait. Is it… It is! It's your dad! Brandon, that's incest. That's disgusting and illegal." Jamie backed up a step or two, giving himself space to finish.

"Just sayin'. When I finish kicking your ass, I'm going to arrest it for incest. Gross, man."

Jamie didn't have a chance to get any more jaunts out because Brandon roared with rage and swung his right arm around in a huge arc, knife gleaming in the light. There was spittle flying from his mouth and his face was a startling shade of purple. Jamie ducked and spun around him, a spike of adrenaline kicking in as round 2 of the fight began.

The warehouse came into view as Danny steered the car around a corner. He and Baez hadn't said much on the way there. Lost in their individual thoughts, yet both hoping and praying for the same thing.

As they screeched to a halt in the parking lot, Danny sent a final quick prayer to his brother. _Please kid, you gotta hang in there.. I'm here. I'm coming to get you. Just hang on. I'll bring you home._ He got out of the car and checked his gun. Baez met him around at the trunk as they both grabbed a couple more full magazines. There was no doubt this would be a bloody fight. They'd need all the ammo they could bring.

SWAT and the other patrol vehicles started arriving, so Danny and Baez split up to start organizing. Danny headed for the SWAT guys while Baez went to split up the uniforms.

After he'd spoken to SWAT about the best tactical entry, Danny came over to Baez, who took a step back and allowed him to take over. It was his brother, after all. She'd step in if he started to lose it.

"Alright everyone. Listen up. Time is really important. This is my brother we're rescuing. He's in bad shape, and he needs us to get in there. Expect a lot of men and a lot of guns. Stay in groups of four and cover the entire building. None of these sons of bitches are skating on this one. They either get shot or arrested. Understand? Alright. I want the EMS on standby ready for the call. Let's move."

A small army of NYPD officers moved in on the warehouse, all exits covered by more than enough men. No officer could get kidnapped without the wrath of the entire NYPD coming down on those responsible. All the officers at the warehouse wanted justice.

Using the radios, the SWAT team prepared to break down every door. As one, every door broke, and the waves of blue began to flood in. Almost immediately, gunfire started. Danny and Baez stuck close together covering each other's backs. The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the warehouse. Danny had seen the blueprints, and knew that the building was massive. It could take several minutes to find Jamie. He leaned slightly behind him so Baez could hear him and yelled, "Baez! We've got to find Jamie! Cover me!" Danny made a break for the nearest hallway, and as he ran, he could see guys dropping as quickly as they showed up. He made a mental note to commend Baez on her marksmanship- especially with her weapon being a handgun.

It was hard to hear anything over the sounds of NYPD officers yelling, and the headache-inducing loudness of bullets being fired multiple times a second, but Danny listened. He listened for anything that didn't sound like a raid. He listened for the voice of his brother, for laughter, for cries of pain, anything that could tell him where Jamie and the sick Ezekiel Talbot were.

As he ran further down the hall, the sounds of the war got quieter. Danny ran, slamming each door open that he came to. Slowly, Danny started hearing sounds of a fight. His adrenaline, which was already sky high, kicked in even further. He knew that was his brother fighting.

Danny came to the last door at the end of the hallway, and busted in, gun drawn and ready to fire. "NYPD! Drop your weapons! Down on the ground!" He looked around as he heard a couple pieces drop. He was in fairly large room with a boxing ring in the middle. And in that ring was Brandon Talbot and Jamie. Danny had just registered their identities when he saw Jamie fall.

"JAMIE!" Danny yelled. He moved towards the ring, looking around, aware that anyone could start firing at him. "Down on the ground! Drop your weapons or I will shoot!"

Brandon got down on the ground and put his hands on his head. It was clearly not his first rodeo. Danny grabbed Brandon's feet and hauled him away from Jamie. Jamie, his beloved and annoying kid brother, was not moving. Danny dropped to his knees next to him and saw a bloody knife beside his brother's hand. Jamie had one hand limply over his hip. Danny lifted his hand and saw a stab wound, just a couple inches above the hip bone. He hissed with anger and fear, and started putting pressure on the wound.

"Jamie, I'm here. Hang in there buddy. Come on man, hang in there. I'm here. It's over. I've got you." Danny suddenly remembered his radio, and grabbed it from his pocket. "I've got Jamie! I need EMS to the northwest side of the building, end of the hall. Quickly!"

Radio contact made, Danny looked over Jamie as he continued to put pressure over the stab wound. There was deep, mottled bruising all over Jamie's torso. Burn marks were all over his arms, chest, and they looked like they went over his shoulders onto his back. His left shoulder seemed to be out of place. Jamie's right knee looked to be about 3 times its regular size, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

Tears swam in Danny's eyes as he took in the sad sight of his brother. The fear continued to grow as the bleeding continued, when Baez came in. Danny heard her yell at one of the guys on the ground who had apparently decided that it was worth trying to sneak away. She cuffed the three men on the ground, including Brandon. Danny looked up at her as she walked over to where he was. Her soft intake of breath told him that he wasn't imagining how bad it was. Jamie was in terrible shape.

"Goddammit where's the EMS? I can't stop the bleeding!" Danny's voice betrayed his fear to his partner.

"They're right behind me, Danny. They're coming." Baez knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're coming, Danny. We've got him- we've got Jamie, Danny. I'll take care of the pressure on this. You should go call your family, ok?" She nudged his hands gently away.

Danny slowly rose to his feet and grabbed his phone. "Dad? We got him. We got Jamie. Meet us at St. Luke's in 20. And Dad?" Danny paused, gearing himself. "It's bad. It's real bad. I'll let the doctors do the explaining, but you better hope I'm not alone with any of the Talbots, because if I am, I'm going to kill them. Slowly… No, I… Yeah Dad. Can you call-? Thanks. See you there."

After Danny hung up, he realized he'd forgotten about the Talbot's. He'd been so focused on Jamie that he didn't find out if Ezekiel had been apprehended.  
"Hey partner. Did that bastard Talbot get grabbed?" Baez looked up and smiled grimly. "Yeah Danny. I got him. Stupid ass was trying to sneak out through a basement door, but I got him. And we've got his idiot of a son right here. They'll never see the light of day again, Danny."


End file.
